Angioplasty is a widely utilized therapeutic treatment in which obstructed intraluminal passages are reopened or dilated. In a typical procedure, a catheter comprising an inflatable member, such as a balloon, is inserted percutaneously into a luminal passage of a patient, such as an artery, vein, airway, etc. Once inserted, the balloon is advanced to the desired treatment site, where the balloon may be inflated to dilate the luminal passage. In certain applications, the balloon catheter may be used to place an intravascular prosthesis, such as a stent, within the luminal passage, which prosthesis could then operate to maintain the patency of the luminal passage.
Although vascular angioplasty and stenting are widely utilized and largely successful procedures, improvements to the same could yet be made. In dilation procedures, for example, it would be desirable for the inflatable member to controllably inflate, and at times preferentially inflate, to better control the position of the inflatable member. In procedures wherein an intravascular prosthesis is to be delivered, it would be desirable to enhance the robustness of the delivery of the prosthetic device.